Tie-tongs.



G. L. ROBBINS.

TIE TONGS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 1914.

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Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHUTO-LITHOH WASHINGTON, D. 4.

CHARLES L. ROBBINS, OF BELFAST, NEW YORK.

TIE-TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

Application filed March 14, 1914. Serial No. 824,715.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES L. ROBBINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belfast, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tie-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railway tie tongs adapted for lifting and carrying railway ties and timber of various sizes and also for use in pulling ties into place under the rails and for removing wornout ties, the object of the invention being to provide an improved device of this character which is extremely cheap and simple, is very strong and durable, which is adapted to firmly grip a tie or a piece of timber to enable the same to be readily lifted and carried from place to place, and which may also be readily readjusted on a tie as is required when pulling a tie in place under the track rails, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices herein described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tie tong or timber lifter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same showing the tongs in use in gripping one end of a tie or piece of timber for carrying the same from place to place. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the tongs in use as a tie puller for placing a tie in position under the rails of a railroad track, the tongs being shown in gripping position in full lines and in advanced position for taking another grip, in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional view of my improved tie tongs on the plane indicated bythe line (1-0; of Fig. 3.

In accordance with my invention I provide a handle 1 which is preferably V- .shaped and provided with a pair of converging arms 2. The handle is preferably in. practice, tubular and made of a return bend 8 having internally threaded unions 1 at its ends in which the ends of the tubular arms 2 are screwed. Caps 5 are screwed to the outer ends of the tubular arms and pro vided with handles 6. The arms are bent at an angle of about 35, at a point a suitable distance from their inner ends, as at 7 so that the bent inner ends of the arms, to-

gether with the return bend 3 from an offset 8.

'Near the bends 7 of the arms are clamping bearings 9 which are here shown as se cured to the arms by bolts 10. These clamping bearings are provided on their inner sides with shoulders 11 through which bolts 12 extend, the said bolts forming the supporting pivots for. an attaching element which carries gripping means, said attaching element being here shown as a rocker 13. This rocker is a metal bar of suitable length having downturned and also slightly inturned arms 14: at its ends and the said arms being provided with slots 15 and also with pivot openings through which the bolts 12 extend so that the rocker, which is arranged transversely between the arms 2 of the handle is mounted for vertical angular movement, the axis being at right angles or transverse to the handle. On the underside of the rocker at the center of the same is a yoke 16 which has a central opening 17 coincident with a similar opening 18 with which the rocker is provided. I also provide a pair of gripping jaws 19 which are reversely curved to provide hooks or bills 20 and are provided with arms 21 which are nearly straight. These grippingjaws are pivotally connected together by which passes through openings in their arms 21 and also passes through openings in a link 23, the lower portion of the link being interposed between the arms of the gripping jaws and being U-shaped as at 24 so that it is provided with an upturned end 25 which is arranged on the outer side of the arm of one of the gripping jaws. The vertical straight shank 26 of the link passes through and is vertically movable in the guide openings 17, 18 of the rocker and the upper end of the link is bent at right angles to form an arm 27. The arms 21 of the gripping jaws are provided at their ends with right angled slots 28 whereby the hooks 29 are formed, the said hooks engaging the openings 15 of and hence the arms of the crossed gripping jaws are pivotally and slidably connected to the rocker, the latter-forming an attaching element whereby the crossed jaws are pivotally and slidably connected to the handle or lever 1. A stop 30 which is arranged below the bend 7 of one of the arms 2 is here shown as secured in place under one of the bearing clamps 9 by the bolt 10 which also secures said bearing clamps.

a bolt 22' the arms 14 of the rocker v One of my improved tie tongs may be.

used at each end of a piece of timber or-tie to enable two persons to lift and carry the timber or tie or one of my tie tongs may be used singly for drawing a tie in place under track rails or removing the tie from the road bed.

For lifting and carrying a tie or piece of timber, as shown in Fig. 2, my tie tongs'is used with the offset 8 extending downwardly from the arms 2 and bearing on the tie or timber and the gripping jaws on opposite sides of the timber. By lowering the outer ends of the arms and hence also lowering the rocker and causing the lower end of thelink to strike on the tie or timber the jaws may be opened and caused to grip their points or bills on opposite sides of the tie or timber, the jaws by gravity, owing to the pivotal mounting of the rocker to which they are attached assuming a vertical position transversely of the tie or timber and by then lifting upwardly on the handles of the tongs the jaws will be caused to firmly grip the tie or timber and the heavier the tie or timber the more firmly will it be gripped by the aws and hence the tie or timber may be readily carried from place to place. In order to disengage the jaws from the tie or timber it is only necessary to depress the tongs, thus causing the arms of the jaws to strike on the upper side of the tie or timber and disengage their points or hooks therefrom.

When in use for placing or removing ties, as shown in Fig. 3, my improved tongs are reversed, so as to cause the offset 8 to lie Hat on the tie and the arms 2 to be inclined upwardly and outwardly therefrom. Owing to the provision of the rocker which forms the attaching element or connector between the jaws and the handle, the jaws always hang below the handle in whichever posi tion the latter may be used. The jaws will be gripped on the tie as in the previous instance and the tie may be readily pulled in place by the use of the tongs. After each pull on the tie it is necessary to movethe tongs a distance of a foot or more to obtain a fresh grip and this is greatly facilitated by the stop 30. After each pull the jaws will be disengaged from the sides of the tie, by moving the outer ends of the arms downwardly and causing the lower end of the link or the arms of the jaws to strike on the tie and at the same time the workman causes one of the jaws to be engaged by the stop, thus keeping the rocker from turning rearwardly with the aws and holding the aws in disengaged position while the tongs is moved forward or outwardly from the work man, on the tie, for a fresh grip.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention I would have it understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion and construction-of the several parts without departing from the spiritof my invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

.My improved tie tong enables a tie to be handled without making pick holes therein, without injuring any portion of the surface of the tie and without the necessity of grasping the tie with the hands, and hence my improved tongs may very advantageously be used for handling ties or timber treated with creosoteor other preservatives andmy' tongs also" enable ties which are covered with mud or dirt to be also advantageously handled.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprisin' a handle, an attaching element arranged intermediate the ends of the handle, a pair of crossedjaws having arms pivotally and'slidably connected to the attaching element, and a link connected to the said jaws and slidably connected to and carried by the attaching element.

2. A device of the class described comprising a handle, a pivotally mounted attaching elementarranged transversely with respect to the handle and at a point intermediate the ends thereof, a pair of crossed jaws having arins'pivotally connected to the attaching element and a link also connecting the'crossed jaws to the attaching element and permitting angular'movement of said jaws with respectto each other.

3. A device of the classdescribed comprising a handle having stop", a pivotally mounted attaching elementcarried by the handle and arrangedtransversely with respect thereto at a point intermediate the ends'thereof 'and near thestop and a pair of crossed j aws pivotally connected together and'also pivotally connected to the attaching element; one] of saidijaws being movable into engagement with the stop for the purpose set forth. I

4. A device of the classdescribed comprising a V-shaped' handle, a pivotally mounted attaching element intermediate the ends of and connecting" the arms of the handle, a pair of crossed jaws 'pivotally connected together and having armspivotally connected to the attaching element, a link also connecting the jaws to the attaching element.

5. A device of the class described comprising a V-shaped handle, 'a pivotally mounted attaching element connecting the arms of the handle, a pair of crossed jaws pivotally connected together and having arms pivotally connected to, the attaching element, a link" alsoconnectingthe' jaws to the attaching element, the s'aidi'link being slidably' connected to the,attaehingl elelnent.

6. A device of theclass describedfconijat its inner end or apex, a pivotally mounted attaching element connecting the arms of the handle, a air of crossed jaws pivotally connected together and having arms pivotally connected to the attaching element and a link also connecting the jaws to the at Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

nected to the attaching element and a link carried by the attaching element and con nected to the jaws, and means to limit the angular movement of the attaching element. 15

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES L. ROBBINS.

Witnesses J. W. GARNER,

BENNETT S. JONES.

Washington, D. 0." 

